Structure for learning anatomy

Vulpes_Vulpes · Apr 2018

Hi all.

I'm a student learning Game Art at the moment (primarily environment art with some vfx). Before starting the course I started teaching myself Zbrush and was very interested in creating characters, but never got further than a couple of shoddy head sculpts, and was then constantly told not to waste my time learning to create characters as I'm unlikely to find work, when I could be practicing my environment art.

Against my tutors wishes I've, decided to again start practicing in my down time, and know that I need to have a really good understanding of both figure and face anatomy.
Does anyone have any advice for a good way to get started on the right track? Should I only be drawing to begin with? Are there well known daily exercises I could be doing to improve?
Free resources are a bonus but I'd be willing to pay for tutorials that are comprehensive enough for a novice.

(Background info:
I know Zbrush and it's interface relatively well
I understand the fundamentals behind game art; texturing, high-to-low baking, topology etc..
I'm awful at drawing.

Thanks!

Brian "Panda" Choi · Apr 2018

Study figure drawing.

Take evening figure drawing classes.

Book wise, I'd go find a copy of Figure Drawing for All It's Worth by Andrew Loomis.

Varoun · Apr 2018

Hey there. You might find some good advice in the thread that I made asking more or less the same topic. I'm definitely not an expert on the subject, but as for daily exercises... maybe try drawing and/or sculpting individual parts of the body each day or even each week. Say hands one day/week, a male or female torso on another. Really focus on getting those right, their proportions and details. Then you can bring the individual pieces together.

Rafael Grassetti's male anatomy tutorials/walkthroughs also come highly recommended by a lot of people here. $16 for the anatomy package!

Vulpes_Vulpes · Apr 2018

Thanks for the responses. I've had someone else recommend Grassetti to me also, so I think I'll have to pick up the anatomy package!
I'm going to try your suggestion, and stick to individual parts at a time. Also that previous thread you posted is great, really useful.
How have you been getting on so far with your learning?

Varoun · Apr 2018

Vulpes_Vulpes said:

Thanks for the responses. I've had someone else recommend Grassetti to me also, so I think I'll have to pick up the anatomy package!
I'm going to try your suggestion, and stick to individual parts at a time. Also that previous thread you posted is great, really useful.
How have you been getting on so far with your learning?

Glad to help! As for me, I've been kind of back and forth between anatomy sculpting and prop modeling - also trying to make the switch from Blender to Maya for that, which makes it harder for now. I'm conflicted as to which path I want to take, which makes it difficult to really dig deep and focus on a single one. My summer is really open this year, so I'm hoping to use that time to really work hard on my skills.

Structure for learning anatomy

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